!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> Amy's Blog: February 2006

Amy's Blog

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

New Socks!

I finished another pair of socks. These are made from Andes Wool and they are really soft. I like the colorway too. It's the same yarn that I used to make my Grandmother's Christmas Stole. The colors are very calming I think.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Olympic Knitting is finished!

I'm so glad to be finished with this project! I finished Savannah's sweater today. I know most people wouldn't think it such a big deal to finish a child's sweater in 16 days, but when you consider that I work full-time and also travelled for 5 days during that time, I think it's pretty good! She's looking mighty indifferent though!



Also, I'd like to show you the wonderful yarn and stitch markers that Marie sent me! She sent the most lovely sock yarn! I really love the colors. The yarn is from Over The Rainbow Twinkle Toes yarn. It's very nice! I can't wait to see it knitted up in socks! Thank you so much Marie! The stitch markers are really cute too! I've never had any beaded stitch markers before and the little pouch is way cute too! Unfortunately, Savannah took off with the pouch and went running down the hall yelling "I gotta new purse!"



Wednesday, February 22, 2006

LONG update!

Everyone at home seems to be feeling better now! YAY! I'm glad too because we've all been sick for weeks now. I just returned yesterday from my trip to New Orleans to visit my husband. We had such a wonderful time. It was absolutely the best trip we've ever had I think. I took loads and loads of pictures of the hurricane damage. You can see them here if you'd like.

Toby took me to not one but TWO yarn shops while we were down there. First I visited the Bette Bornside Yarn Company. I had a lovely time visiting with Mrs. Bornside. She and I talked for a long time about how the hurricane had affected her and her business. She told me that she had lost at least 1 in 3 of her walk-in customers. She was such a lovely woman...very friendly and had lots of great suggestions. While I was there I purchased some yarns that I had never seen before at my LYS. I bought some Reynolds Utopia yarns for a blanket for Savannah. This is the softest acrylic yarn I've ever seen. Mrs. Bornside had a blanket made from this yarn that she had washed several times and it held up so well and was even softer after the washing. I also bought four skeins of Lopi yarn for a felted purse, and two skeins of Fortissima sock yarn. My LYS has the sock yarn, but I couldn't resist after seeing the sample she had worked up. Mrs. Bornside had a very interesting layout of her shop. The yarns were on display here by brand and color, but there was only one skein samples of each color. Some yarns were on display on hanging color cards. You just picked out what you wanted and she went to the back to collect your choices. I kind of liked this because I didn't feel overwhelmed by the yarns. There were lots to choose from, but there weren't thousands of skeins stuffed here and there. Here's a picture of the Bornside loot.



I also got to visit The Quarter Stitch. Right now their website is just a picture of the owner's dog and their contact info. BUT they are located in the French Quarter about half a block down from Jackson Square. It was a very quaint little shop. The yarns were yummy and I saw lots of new things I'd never seen before like Galway, Malabrigo, and Koigu. There were yarns of all kinds here. Most of them were very unique...lots of frilly and hand dyed yarns. They carried Noro, Classic Elite, Trendsetter, and many others. This would be a great place to shop if you are really interested in trying new things with yarns. It's so easy to see the combinations that are possible by mixing yarns here. They also had an awesome display of Collinette yarns and their throws were magnificent. This shop also caters to Needlepoint. There was a massive display of needlepoint yarns. The Quarter Stitch also sells needles but they are not on display. They were in a really neat cupboard. I loved the atmosphere of this shop and the lady who was working that day was very friendly and I enjoyed visiting with her. She chatted freely as we shopped and seemed to go out of the way to make my husband feel welcomed. At the Quarter Stitch, I purchased 2 skeins of Koigu and 2 of Malabrigo. I've already started a hat and scarf set from the Malabrigo and it is sooooo soft. It's 100% Merino wool and hand-dyed. Here is a picture of the Quarter Stitch yarns:

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Contest at My House

We're having a contest at my house. The children and I are trying to see who can get the sickest and stay the sickest the longest! That's what I feel like anyway. Chandler has got bronchitis now. I'm sure Savannah isn't far behind. I took him to the doctor this morning and the doctor sent me home with more medicine for myself even, and a prescription for when Savannah gets it. Talk about encouraging, huh? Well, at least it saved me a $75 office visit and another $75 office visit for when Savannah gets sick too. I really like our doctor!

On another much better note, I passed my Business Education Praxis exam! Yay! I'm so thrilled, now I'll be certified to teach Business Ed. classes for grades 7-12. I have another big test in March for my Grade 4-8 Certification in English, Math, Science, and History! That one will be a booger.

For the knitting content, I've started a pair of red socks! They are looking good so far. I'm using a Lacy Mock Cable pattern and I think that is looks very much like eyelet lace to me. I'm enjoying the pattern very much and the five row repeat was simple to memorize. These socks are also growing quickly. I'm making them out of Brown's Sheep Nature Spun Sportweight, but really the yarn feels the same to me as Regia's Crazy Color and I ended up having to use a size 2 needle. Here's a picture from last night: